The federal Education Department has ordered every U.S. preschool, elementary, secondary and postsecondary educational institution and state educational agency receiving federal money to eliminate policies or programs treating students differently “on the basis of race” in “all” aspects of student, academic and campus life.

The order, issued Friday, gave institutions 14 days to comply. Citing a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that race-conscious admissions at colleges and universities is unconstitutional, the order declares that actions designed to achieve “diversity, racial balancing, social justice or equity,” including scholarships and campus hiring decisions, are “illegal.”